Methods and apparatus for generating a message for a wireless device

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for generating a message ( 106 ) for a wireless device ( 102 ) are disclosed. In an embodiment, an application server ( 106 ), or any other suitable device or system, receives a wireless network identifier (e.g. an SSID) associated with an access point ( 202 ) communicatively coupled to the wireless device ( 102 ). The application server ( 106 ) determines a social networking account associated with the network identifier (e.g., company XYZ&#39;s Facebook account from a local database). The application server ( 106 ) then retrieves content from a network ( 110 ) based on the social networking account (e.g., company XYZ&#39;s ten most recent Facebook posts), and generates the message ( 106 ) for the wireless device ( 102 ) based on the content (e.g., “Welcome to XYZ! Today&#39;s special offer is . . . ”).

The present disclosure relates in general to wireless communicationdevices, and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for generating amessage for a wireless device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wireless devices, such as smart phones, often connect automatically todifferent Wi-Fi hotspots as the devices move from one location toanother location. These hotspots are often provided for free by variousbusinesses such as coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels. When awireless device initially attempts to browse to a web page (e.g.,Google.com), the hotspot provider's access point may cause the user'sbrowser to be redirected to a web page promoting the hotspot provider(e.g., Starbucks.com). This web page is typically referred to as awelcome page. This brief marketing opportunity is beneficial to thehotspot provider.

However, some hotspots do not support these welcome pages. In addition,the welcome page is only displayed immediately after the user connectsto the hotspot via a browser. There are no updated messages pushed tothe user during the hotspot session. Further, many newer hotspots do notuse a web browser for authentication. Therefore, the browser redirectiontechnique to present a welcome page does not work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example network communication system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another example network communicationsystem.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for generating amessage for a wireless device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another example apparatus for generating amessage for a wireless device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of yet another example apparatus forgenerating a message for a wireless device.

FIG. 6 illustrates example screenshots of a social networking site and awireless device displaying a message that is based on the socialnetworking site content.

FIG. 7 illustrates additional example screenshots of a social networkingsite and a wireless device displaying a message that is based on thesocial networking site content.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example process for generating a message fora wireless device.

FIG. 9 is another flowchart of another example process for generating amessage for a wireless device.

FIG. 10 is a messaging diagram of example process for generating amessage for a wireless device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Briefly, in a specific embodiment, an application server associated witha cellular phone manufacturer receives a Service Set Identifier (SSID)from a cellular phone. The SSID identifies a Wi-Fi hotspot that iscurrently connecting the cellular phone to the Internet (e.g., “ABCHotel Lobby”). The application server then looks up what Facebook and/orother social networking account is associated with the SSID (e.g.,lookup in a database that “ABC Hotel Lobby” is associated with theFacebook account “ABC Hotels and Resorts”). The application server thenlogs in to Facebook as a user that “likes” the social networking accountof the hotspot provider and retrieves social networking content (e.g.,ABC Hotel's ten most recent Facebook posts). The application server thenoptionally parses the content (e.g., selects the most recent post, apost based on a keyword and/or hash tag, and/or a post based on a userassociated with the post) and composes a message from the retrieved (andoptionally parsed) social networking content. The application serverthen optionally adds additional content to the message (e.g., a welcomemessage and or a hyperlink), and sends the composed message (e.g.,“Welcome to ABC! Today's special offer is . . . ”) either directly tothe wireless device or to the wireless device via a messaging server.

Among other advantages, wireless devices using hotspots that do notsupport browser based redirection to welcome pages may display thesemessages as welcome messages. In addition, updated messages may bepushed to the wireless devices during the hotspot session. For example,messages may be pushed to the wireless devices when the socialnetworking content changes while the wireless device is connected to thehotspot associated with the social networking content. Because thecontent of the messages is derived from the hotspot provider's socialnetworking account, the messages may be pushed to the wireless devicewith no additional effort or cooperation needed by the hotspot provider.

In an embodiment, an apparatus for generating a message for a wirelessdevice is disclosed. The apparatus includes a receiver structured toreceive a wireless network identifier associated with an access pointcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device (e.g., Wi-Fi SSID is “ABCHotel Lobby”). The apparatus also includes a controller operativelycoupled to the receiver. The controller is structured to determine asocial networking account associated with the network identifier (e.g.,look in database for “ABC Hotel Lobby” to determine Facebook account is“ABC Suites”). The apparatus also includes a network interfaceoperatively coupled to the controller. The network interface isstructured to retrieve content from a network based on the socialnetworking account, wherein the controller generates the message for thewireless device based on the retrieved content (e.g., get most recentFacebook post for “ABC Suites” and send to the wireless device as a popup message).

In one example, the receiver is structured to receive a Service SetIdentifier (SSID). In one example, the controller is structured tolookup a uniform resource locator (URL) based on the network identifier.In one example, the controller is structured to lookup a socialnetworking account based on the network identifier. In one example, thenetwork interface is structured to retrieve web page content based onthe social networking account. In one example, the controller isstructured to generate the message by parsing the content based on atleast one keyword. In one example, the controller is structured togenerate the message by filtering the content based on a posted date. Inone example, the controller is structured to generate the message byfiltering the content based on a user associated with posting thecontent. In one example, a transmitter is operatively coupled to thecontroller, the transmitter being structured to send the message to thewireless device. In one example, the transmitter is structured to updatethe message at the wireless device. In one example, the transmitter ispart of a messaging push server.

Turning now to the drawings, and as described in detail below, oneexample of the presently disclosed system is realized in a wirelessnetwork communications system, although any suitable communicationsystem may be employed. A block diagram of an exemplary wireless networkcommunications system 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustratedsystem 100 includes one or more client devices 102 (e.g., computer,television, camera, phone), one or more servers 106, and one or moredatabases 108. Each of these devices may communicate with each other viaa connection to one or more communications channels 110 such as theInternet or some other wired and/or wireless data network, including,but not limited to, any suitable wide area network or local areanetwork. It will be appreciated that any of the devices described hereinmay be directly connected to each other instead of over a network.

Each server 106 stores a plurality of files, programs, and/or web pagesin one or more databases 108 for use by the client devices 102 asdescribed in detail below. The database 108 may be connected directly tothe server 106 and/or via one or more network connections. The database108 stores data as described in detail below.

One server 106 typically interacts with a large number of client devices102. Accordingly, each server 106 is typically a high end computer witha large storage capacity, one or more fast microprocessors, and one ormore high speed network connections. Conversely, relative to a typicalserver 106, each client device 102 typically includes less storagecapacity, a single microprocessor, and a single network connection.

In this example, the system 100 includes an application server 106, acontent server 106, and a messaging server 106. Each of the servers 106is embodied in a single device or a plurality of devices. In an example,the application server 106 is combined with the content server 106and/or the messaging server 106. In another example, the content server106 is combined with the messaging server 106. In yet another example,the application server 106, the content server 106, and/or the messagingserver 106 include a plurality of servers and/or other devices.

As described in more detail below, and with respect to one embodiment,the application server 106 (a) receives a wireless network identifier(e.g. an SSID) from a wireless device 102, (b) retrieves socialnetworking account information based on the network identifier (e.g.,company XYZ's Facebook account from a local database), (c) retrievessocial networking content from a content server 106 based on the socialnetworking account (e.g., company XYZ's ten most recent Facebook posts),(d) parses the content (e.g., select a post based on a keyword and/orhash tag), and (e) composes a message based on the parsed content andsends the message to the wireless device 102 either directly to thewireless device 102 or via a messaging server 106 (e.g., “Welcome toXYZ! Today's special offer is . . . ”).

A block diagram of another example network communication system 100 isillustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, two different access points 202are located at two different business locations. In a first example, an802.11 Wi-Fi router is located at a hotel named ABC Hotel. In a secondexample, another 802.11 Wi-Fi router is located at a restaurant namedXYZ Restaurant. Each access point 202 has a wireless range 204. Wirelessdevices 102 within an access point's range 204 may connect to (orassociate with) that access point 202.

As part of this association process, each wireless device 102 receivesan access point identifier (e.g., an SSID). For example, the ABC HotelWi-Fi router may use “ABC Hotel” as its SSID, and the XYZ RestaurantWi-Fi router may use “XYZ Rest Group” as its SSID. As described in moredetail below, and with respect to one embodiment, each wireless device102 displays a dynamic and customized message 206 based on the networkidentifier. For example, a first wireless device 102 using the ABC HotelWi-Fi may receive a message 206 such as “Welcome to ABC, please visitour spa located on the second floor,” and a second wireless device 102using the XYZ Restaurant Wi-Fi may receive a message 206 such as“Welcome to XYZ, our specials today include . . . ”

Each message 206 may change at any time, and the wireless device 102 mayreceive an updated message 206 any time the wireless device 102 isconnected to the access point 202. For example, a wireless device 102connecting to Wi-Fi supplied by a horse racing track may initiallydisplay the message 206 “Welcome to Arlington Race Track!” Subsequently,the wireless device 102 may display the message 206 “Only ten minutesleft to place your bets on race #1. Click here to place your bets.”After the race, the wireless device 102 in this example may display themessage 206 “Win, place and show for race #1 are horse numbers 5, 2, and1 respectively.”

In order to dynamically adjust the content that is displayed for eachbusiness, some or all of the content is retrieved from a socialnetworking site, or any other suitable web site, associated with thatbusiness. In one embodiment, the business associated with the accesspoint 202 is unaware that the content from its social networking site isused to create messages that are being pushed to wireless device 102. Insuch an instance, the social networking content may be parsed based ondate, keywords, user's posting the content, and/or any other suitableparsing criteria, to generate some or all of the desired messagecontent. In another embodiment, the business associated with the accesspoint 202 is aware that the content from its social networking site isused to create messages that are being pushed to wireless device 102. Insuch an instance, the social networking content may include one or morehash tags (or other identifiers) to identify some or all of the desiredcontent that should be pushed to wireless device 102.

Each of the devices illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may include certaincommon aspects of many electronic devices such as microprocessors,memories, peripherals, etc. A block diagram of certain elements of anexample electronic device 300 that may be used to generate a message fora wireless device is illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the electricaldevice 300 may be a client, a server, a camera, a phone, and/or atelevision.

The example electrical device 300 includes a main unit 302 which mayinclude, if desired, one or more physical processors 304 electricallycoupled by an address/data bus 306 to one or more memories 308, othercomputer circuitry 310, and one or more interface circuits 312. Theprocessor 304 may be any suitable processor or plurality of processors.For example, the electrical device 300 may include a central processingunit (CPU) and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The memory 308 mayinclude various types of non-transitory memory including volatile memoryand/or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, distributedmemory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM) etc. Thememory 308 typically stores a software program that interacts with theother devices in the system as described herein. This program may beexecuted by the processor 304 in any suitable manner. The memory 308 mayalso store digital data indicative of documents, files, programs, webpages, etc. retrieved from a server and/or loaded via an input device314.

The interface circuit 312 may be implemented using any suitableinterface standard, such as an Ethernet interface and/or a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) interface. One or more input devices 314 may beconnected to the interface circuit 312 for entering data and commandsinto the main unit 302. For example, the input device 314 may be akeyboard, mouse, touch screen, track pad, isopoint, camera, voicerecognition system, accelerometer, global positioning system (GPS),and/or any other suitable input device.

One or more displays, printers, speakers, monitors, televisions, highdefinition televisions, and/or other suitable output devices 316 mayalso be connected to the main unit 302 via the interface circuit 312.The display 316 may be a cathode ray tube (CRTs), liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs), or any other type of suitable display. The display 316generates visual displays of data generated during operation of thedevice 300. For example, the display 316 may be used to display webpages and/or other content received from a server 106. The visualdisplays may include prompts for human input, run time statistics,calculated values, data, etc.

One or more storage devices 318 may also be connected to the main unit302 via the interface circuit 312. For example, a hard drive, CD drive,DVD drive, and/or other storage devices may be connected to the mainunit 302. The storage devices 318 may store any type of data used by thedevice 300.

The electrical device 300 may also exchange data with other networkdevices 322 via a connection to a network. The network connection may beany type of network connection, such as an Ethernet connection, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), telephone line, coaxial cable, etc. Users of thesystem may be required to register with a server. In such an instance,each user may choose a user identifier (e.g., e-mail address) and apassword which may be required for the activation of services. The useridentifier and password may be passed across the network usingencryption built into the user's browser. Alternatively, the useridentifier and/or password may be assigned by the server.

In some embodiments, the device 300 is a wireless device. In such aninstance, the device 300 may include one or more antennas 324 connectedto one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers 326. The transceiver326 may include one or more receivers and one or more transmitters. Forexample, the transceiver 326 may be a cellular transceiver. Thetransceiver 326 allows the device 300 to exchange signals, such asvoice, video and data, with network servers (e.g. with server 106 shownin FIG. 1) and/or with other wireless devices 328, such as a phone,camera, monitor, television, and/or high definition television. Forexample, the device may send and receive wireless telephone signals,text messages, audio signals and/or video signals. A receive signalstrength indicator (RSSI) associated with each receiver generates anindication of the relative strength or weakness of each signal beingreceived by the device 300.

A block diagram of certain elements of an example wireless device 102for generating a message is illustrated in FIG. 4. The wireless device102 may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware andhardware executing software. In one embodiment, the wireless device 102may include a CPU executing software. Other suitable hardware mayinclude one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),state machines, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or digitalsignal processors (DSPs).

In this example, the wireless device 102 includes a plurality ofantennas 402 operatively coupled to one or more radio frequency (RF)receivers 404. The receiver 404 is also operatively coupled to one ormore baseband processors 406. The receiver 404 tunes to one or moreradio frequencies to receive one or more radio signals 408, which arepassed to the baseband processor 406 in a well known manner. Thebaseband processor 406 is operatively coupled to one or more controllers410. The baseband processor 406 passes data 412 to the controller 410. Amemory 416 operatively coupled to the controller 410 may store the data412.

A block diagram of certain elements of another example electronic device102/106 for generating a message for a wireless device is illustrated inFIG. 5. In this example, the electronic device 102/106 includes awireless network identifier receiver 502. For example, the wirelessnetwork identifier receiver 502 may be an 802.11 Wi-Fi receiver, whichreceives a Service Set Identifier (SSID) from an access point 202. Thewireless network identifier receiver 502 is operatively coupled to atranslator 504 for converting the network identifier to a socialnetworking account. For example, the translator 504 may be a processor304 in a cellular phone 102 and/or an application server 106 executingsoftware that looks up Facebook account information in a database 108based on the a Service Set Identifier (SSID). Although Facebook is usedthroughout this description as an example social network, it will beappreciated that any suitable social network may be used, such asTwitter, Google+, etc.

The translator 504 is operatively coupled to a content retriever 506.The content retriever 506 retrieves social networking content from acontent server 106 based on the social networking account. In anexample, SSID identifies a certain company, and the content retriever506 retrieves one or more Facebook posts from that company's Facebookpage. The content retriever 506 is operatively coupled to a messagegenerator 508. The message generator 508 generates a message for awireless device 102 based on the retrieved social networking content. Inan embodiment, the message generator 508 parses the retrieved socialnetworking content to generate at least a portion of the message. Forexample, the message generator 508 may select a certain socialnetworking post out of a plurality of posts based on one or morekeywords, one or more hash tags, and/or one or more poster's names. Inaddition, the message generator 508 may add certain content to themessage that was not necessarily retrieved from the social networkingaccount. For example, the message generator 508 may add informationassociated with the network identifier in the database, such as thecompany name, a company logo, a coupon, etc. In addition, the messagegenerator 508 may add one or more hyperlinks and/or any other suitablecontent to the message.

In one embodiment, the blocks 502-508 of the apparatus illustrated inFIG. 5 are part of one or more servers 106. In such an instance, theserver 106 transmits the generated message to a wireless device 102, andthe wireless device 102 displays the message on a display 316 and/orother output device. For example, the application server 106 and/or amessaging server 106 may send “Welcome to ABC! Sign up for an accounttoday by clicking here” to a wireless device 102 for display on thedevice 102. In another embodiment, the blocks 502-508 of the apparatusillustrated in FIG. 5 are part of a wireless device 102, such as acellular phone. In such an instance, the wireless device 102 displaysthe generated message on the display 316 and/or other output device. Inyet another embodiment, some of the blocks 502-508 of the apparatusillustrated in FIG. 5 are part one or more servers 106 and some of theblocks 502-508 are part of a wireless device 102. For example, anapplication server 106 may receive the network identifier, look upsocial networking account information based on the network identifier,generate a first portion of the message, include a pointer (e.g., ahyperlink) to a second portion of the message, and send the firstportion of the message and the pointer to a wireless device 102. In suchan instance, the wireless device 102 then retrieves the second portionof the message automatically or in response to a user input.

Screenshots of an example social networking site 602 and a wirelessdevice 102 displaying a message 206 that is based on the socialnetworking site content 604 is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this example, aFacebook page 602 associated with a restaurant called “The ChicagoFirehouse” includes overall social networking content 604 and a subsetof the social networking content 606. In an example, the subset 606 isthe most recent post by the company on the social networking site. Thewireless device 102 displays a message 206 generated based on the socialnetworking content 604. In this example, the message 206 includes afirst message portion 610 and a second message portion 612. The firstmessage portion 610 includes canned text “Welcome to the ChicagoFirehouse” retrieved from a database 108 based on the networkidentifier, and the second message portion 612 includes text parsed fromthe Facebook page 602 (e.g., the latest post).

Additional screenshots of an example social networking site 602 and awireless device 102 displaying a message 206 that is based on the socialnetworking site content 604 is illustrated in FIG. 7. In this example,another Facebook page 602 associated with a hotel called “FictionalParadise” includes overall social networking content 604 and a subset ofthe social networking content 606. In an example, the subset 606 isidentified by a hash tag 702. The wireless device 102 displays a message206 generated based on the social networking content 604. In thisexample, the message 206 includes a first message portion 610 and asecond message portion 612. The first message portion 610 includescanned text “Welcome to Fictional Paradise Hotels and Resorts” retrievedfrom a database 108 based on the network identifier, and the secondmessage portion 612 includes text parsed from the Facebook page 602based on the hash tag 702.

A flowchart of an example process 800 for generating a message for awireless device is illustrated in FIG. 8. The process 800 may be carriedout by one or more suitably programmed processors such as a CPUexecuting software (e.g., block 304 of FIG. 3). The process 800 may alsobe embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and hardwareexecuting software. Suitable hardware may include one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), state machines, fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs),and/or other suitable hardware. Although the process 800 is describedwith reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 8, it will beappreciated that many other methods of performing the acts associatedwith process 800 may be used. For example, the order of many of theoperations may be changed, and some of the operations described may beoptional.

The example process 800 begins when a server 106 optionally transmits alist of wireless network identifiers to a wireless device 102 (block801). For example, when a cellular phone logs on (e.g. over 3G or LTE),the server 106 may send a list SSIDs for which the server 106 has asocial networking account). Alternatively, or in addition, the wirelessdevice 102 may be preconfigured with one or more wireless networkidentifiers. Subsequently, the server 106 receives a wireless networkidentifier associated with an access point 202 that is communicativelycoupled to a wireless device 102 (block 802). In an example, a cellularphone sends an SSID to an application server 106. Preferably, thewireless device 102 only sends the SSID when the SSID is included in thereceived list of SSIDs. This prevents the wireless device 106 fromsending SSIDs to the application server 106, for which the applicationserver 106 has no associated social networking account.

The server 106 then determines a social networking account associatedwith the network identifier (block 804). In an example, the applicationserver 106 looks up a uniform resource locator (URL) based on the SSID.The server 106 then retrieves content from the social networking account(block 806). In an example, the application server 106 fetches aFacebook page based on the URL. The server 106 then generates themessage for the wireless device 102 based on the content (block 808). Inan example, the application server 106 parses the Facebook page.

As an example of how the order of the operations may be changed, anapplication server 106 may retrieve content from a social networkingaccount prior to a cellular phone sending an SSID associated with thatcontent. In addition, the application server 106 may parse certainsocial networking content prior to a cellular phone sending an SSIDassociated with that content (e.g., pre-parse popular content inanticipation of needing it for messaging).

A flowchart of another example process 900 for generating a message fora wireless device is illustrated in FIG. 9. The process 900 may becarried out by one or more suitably programmed processors such as a CPUexecuting software (e.g., block 304 of FIG. 3). The process 900 may alsobe embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and hardwareexecuting software. Suitable hardware may include one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), state machines, fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs),and/or other suitable hardware. Although the process 900 is describedwith reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 9, it will beappreciated that many other methods of performing the acts associatedwith process 900 may be used. For example, the order of many of theoperations may be changed, and some of the operations described may beoptional.

The example process 900 begins when a wireless device 102 associateswith a wireless network and receives a wireless network identifier of anaccess point 202 (block 802). In an example, a cellular phone associateswith a wireless router 202 and receives a Wi-Fi SSID. The wirelessdevice 102 then determines a social networking account associated withthe network identifier (block 904). In an example, the wireless device102 locally looks up a uniform resource locator (URL) based on the SSIDif the SSID is in the list received from the server 106. The wirelessdevice 102 then retrieves content from the social networking account(block 906). In an example, the wireless device 102 fetches a Facebookpage based on the URL. The wireless device 102 then generates themessage for the wireless device 102 based on the content (block 908). Inan example, the wireless device 102 parses the Facebook page.

As an example of how the order of the operations may be changed, awireless device 102 may retrieve content from a social networkingaccount prior receiving a particular Wi-Fi SSID associated with thatcontent. In addition, the wireless device 102 may parse certain socialnetworking content prior to receiving the Wi-Fi SSID associated withthat content (e.g., pre-parse popular content in anticipation of needingit for messaging).

A messaging diagram of example process 1000 for generating a message fora wireless device 102 is illustrated in FIG. 10. In this example, anaccess point 202 transmits an SSID 1002 to a wireless device 102 (e.g.,when the wireless device is associating with the access point 202 orwhen the wireless device performs WiFi scanning to identify availableaccess points). The wireless device 102 then transmits the SSID 1002 toan application server 106 if the SSID is in the list received from theserver 106. The application server 106 determines a social networkingaccount 1004 based on the SSID, and transmits a content request 1006 toa content server 106 associated with the social networking account. Forexample, the application server 106 may determine that the SSID isassociated with ABC Hotel and request one or more Facebook posts fromthe ABC Hotel Facebook page. The content server 106 then transmits therequested content 1008 to the application server 106, and theapplication server 106 parses the content 1010 to form at least part ofthe message. For example, the application server 106 may filter thecontent based on posted date, keywords, poster's name, hash tags, and/orany other suitable criteria. In addition, the application server 106 mayadd other content to the message such as template text (e.g., “Welcometo [company name]” and/or a hyperlink (e.g., “Click here to view acoupon”). Once the application server 106 generates the message based onthe social networking content, the application server 106 transmits themessage to the wireless device 102 for display.

In summary, methods and apparatus for generating a message for awireless device have been disclosed. Among other advantages, wirelessdevices using hotspots that do not support browser based redirection towelcome pages may display these messages as welcome messages. Inaddition, updated messages may be pushed to the wireless devices duringthe hotspot session. For example, messages may be pushed to the wirelessdevices when the social networking content changes while the wirelessdevice is connected to the hotspot associated with the social networkingcontent. Because the content of the messages is derived from the hotspotprovider's social networking account, the messages may be pushed to thewireless device with no additional effort or cooperation needed by thehotspot provider.

The foregoing description has been presented for the purposes ofillustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the exemplary embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description of examples, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of generating a message for a wirelessdevice, the method comprising: storing a list of wireless networkidentifiers at the wireless device; receiving a wireless networkidentifier included in the list of wireless network identifiers, whereinthe network identifier is associated with an access pointcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device; determining a socialnetworking account associated with the network identifier; retrievingcontent from a network based on the social networking account; andgenerating the message for the wireless device based on the content. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the list ofwireless network identifiers to the wireless device.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving the wireless network identifier includesreceiving a Service Set Identifier (SSID).
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the social networking account includes determining auniform resource locator (URL).
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinretrieving content from the social networking account includesretrieving web page content.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating the message includes parsing the content based on at leastone keyword.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the messageincludes filtering the content based on a posted date.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein generating the message includes filtering the contentbased on a user associated with posting the content.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein generating the message includes inserting a hyperlinkin the message.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising sendingthe message to the wireless device.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising updating the message at the wireless device.
 12. The methodof claim 10, wherein sending the message to the wireless device includesusing a messaging push server.
 13. An apparatus for generating a messagefor a wireless device, the apparatus comprising: a receiver structuredto receive a wireless network identifier included in a list of wirelessnetwork identifiers, wherein the network identifier is associated withan access point communicatively coupled to the wireless device; acontroller operatively coupled to the receiver, the controller beingstructured to determine a social networking account associated with thenetwork identifier; and a network interface operatively coupled to thecontroller, the network interface being structured to retrieve contentfrom a network based on the social networking account; wherein thecontroller generates the message for the wireless device based on theretrieved content.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising atransmitter operatively coupled to the controller, the transmitter beingstructured to transmit the list of wireless network identifiers to thewireless device.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the receiver isstructured to receive a Service Set Identifier (SSID).
 16. The apparatusof claim 13, wherein the controller is structured to lookup a uniformresource locator (URL) based on the network identifier.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is structured to lookup asocial networking account based on the network identifier.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the network interface is structured toretrieve web page content based on the social networking account. 19.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is structured togenerate the message by parsing the content based on at least onekeyword.
 20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller isstructured to generate the message by filtering the content based on aposted date.
 21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller isstructured to generate the message by filtering the content based on auser associated with posting the content.
 22. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein the controller is structured to generate the message byinserting a hyperlink in the message.
 23. The apparatus of claim 13,further comprising a transmitter operatively coupled to the controller,the transmitter being structured to send the message to the wirelessdevice.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the transmitter isstructured to update the message at the wireless device.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 23, wherein the transmitter is part of a messagingpush server.
 26. A method of generating a message for a wireless device,the method comprising: storing a list of Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs)at the wireless device; receiving a Service Set Identifier (SSID)included in the list Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs), wherein theService Set Identifier (SSID) is associated with an access pointcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device; determining a uniformresource locator (URL) associated with the Service Set Identifier(SSID); retrieving web page content based on the uniform resourcelocator (URL); generating the message for the wireless device based onthe content by parsing the content based on at least one keyword andfiltering the content based on a posted date; inserting a hyperlink inthe message; and sending the message to the wireless device.
 27. Themethod of claim 26, further comprising transmitting the list of ServiceSet Identifiers (SSIDs) to the wireless device.